Conservative or Liberal, Deist or Pagan, Jersey transplant or Lehigh Valley native, we're all in this mess together. Let's talk. Let us do no harm. Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne

About Me

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Former GOP Chair: Say No to Trump

Wayne Woodman

Wayne Woodman is the former Lehigh County GOP Chair, and was the architect behind a push for more conservative Commissioners and Scott Ott's Executive races. He and I were on opposite sides then and remain that way on most issues. But guess what? We agree about Trump. The Morning Call has published his op-ed in opposition to Orange Crush. What you see below is a longer version. (No Republicans were injured in the drafting of this op-ed.)

I have been a Republican for over fifty years. Before I was old enough to vote, at age 8, I went door to door in my Los Angeles neighborhood for Barry Goldwater. I graduated high school early and worked for the Los Angeles County Party as an intern and coordinator. Ronald Reagan inspired me after Watergate. In my fifteen years in the Lehigh Valley, I have served as a committee person, finance chair and two term Party chair. My parents were immigrants and I was taught early and often how rare a commodity freedom is and how a growing and ever more influential government could suffocate it and stifle ordinary citizens' pursuit of their own ambitions.

I have lived through the elevating experience of a visionary President Reagan, who appealed to the best aspirations in all of us. I have experienced the well intended but rudderless leadership of George W Bush. After 8 years of Barack Obama I was hopeful and hungry for a Republican presidential candidate who could recapture the imagination of voters; whose vision and leadership could heal the partisan divide of the last fifteen years and unite the nation behind an aspirational vision that would establish a constructive course for the future. Sixteen candidates stepped forward, the best crop in a generation, and each offered their ideas and policies. I was optimistic that one would rise to the nomination and the others would unite behind him to retake the White House. And then Donald Trump entered the fray and very quickly the nominating process took on all the ugliness of a reality TV show.

Mr. Trump is now my Party’s front runner. He has achieved that status, not by appealing to the better angels of our natures with an aspirational vision but, rather, with a blinding ambition that caters to the lowest impulses that human beings harbor. His leadership, such as it is, is characterized by his narcissism, his amorality and his prevarication. He leads in the same way as Huey Long, George Wallace or Father Coughlin; he appeals to fears without basis in fact, and to emotions grounded in anger.

That anger and frustration is understandable if not constructive. Under fifteen years of George W Bush and Barack Obama, we have had historically low economic growth. Republican politicians did not reform the growth of the federal government under Bush and Republican voters' expectations were raised again when we began to retake majorities in the House and Senate in 2010. Rather than speak unpleasant truths, they told comforting lies about what was possible and how long it would take to accomplish. The GOP as an institution needs to recognize its own role in the morphing of Donald Trump from a crony capitalist narcissist to a Presidential front runner. Trump is a channel for that anger and large numbers of Republican voters are more motivated by the potential to destroy the Party that elevated their hopes than they are of elevating the state of our Party’s politics.

I respect the will of the voters if Trump is chosen as the Republican nominee. I believe in competitive primaries and the governing power of market forces. However, there is a prerequisite that supersedes even that. My first judgement of any candidate is character. Without character, there is no integrity, and without integrity, it doesn't matter what a candidate says he stands for. Flexibility is not a principle. It is a tactic and a useful one in politics. But without principles that can be counted on, a candidate is nothing more than a sapling in the wind and his supporters are nothing more than his saps.

Mr. Trump’s character is deeply flawed. My assessment is based on a close following of his businesses career from his Casino days in Atlantic City to his use of his name to deceive people into parting with their money for products from failed condo projects to phony University curriculums. His principles seem to begin and end in his narcissism. His vision ends in the mirror. His behavior is reflective of an authoritarian rather than an American President. He wishes to “loosen” libel laws so he can use the judiciary to threaten a free press. He says he can get along with Paul Ryan but if not, Ryan will have big problems. That is not the vision that unites the Party or the country. It is, rather, the language of a mob boss running a protection racket. “Nice Speaker's chair ya got there Mr. Ryan. Be a shame if anything happened to it.” The anger of his supporters seems to make all this meaningless. New York may once again have another Teflon Don. However this one will have the potential to do much more damage than a Queens Mafia boss once did.

So while I respect the will of my Party’s electorate I ask for that same respect in return. If Mr. Trump is elevated to my Party’s nominee I will not support him. If Mr. Trump defines what it means to be a Republican then I cannot be a Republican. I will leave the Republican Party to become an Independent. I will not lend my name and reputation to the GOP under his leadership. I will fight for those candidates in the House and the Senate who do have vision and character in the hopes that they will rise to the occasion to defeat the policies of the left that have so damaged this country for so long. I will support those who are willing to resist and oppose a President Clinton or a President Trump, despite his being of their Party. Profiles in Courage is great book but also a thin one; and thin for a reason. Let's hope, like Senator Sasse, more leaders rise to the occasion. I searched my heart and my conscience to reach my decision. I hope I have motivated you to search yours.

63 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Too little, too late. Mainstream and moderate republicans have been systematically made irrelevant as conservative 'news' outlets have carefully created a climate of hatred, fear, ignorance and intolerance. The Donald is the perfect fit for today's GOP, an angry, egotistical, warmongering bigot who is going to hurt and kill all the bad people who keep these white trash from achieving their goals.

Watching the nitwits on FOX desperately trying to distance themselves from their creation would be hilarious if it wasn't so dire.

i note that these republicans disillusioned with trump, and now talking about becoming independents, were just two months ago partisan robots, who wouldn't, and didn't support any independent or democrat, regardless of their "character"

The democrat candidates aren't much better. The lies, lies, of Hillary and the Socialist Sanders are not much better. The problem is no one wants to compromise. I blame the President for his Socialist actions and views and the Republician Congress for not getting anything of value or importance done the past 8 years.

Reagan started the divide with the "us" vs. "bleeding heart libs" mentality along with destroying the unions and with it the middle class to further the divide. The Repub party has ever since relied on the sleaze of the negative slant which culminates in their current front runner.

The FIRST goal of any political party who competes for citizen votes in a Presidential Election should be to WIN the office!

Repeat . . . WIN THE OFFICE!

The Republican Party is essentially already dead, Mr. Woodman. It "sold its soul to the devil" about 4 years ago. It has placed the wishes of its corporate puppet-masters over the call of the citizens. Only last week, Republican National Committee Rules Committee Member Curly Haugland described this Primary Election process, one citizens all across this nation are rallying around in record number, as "worthless beauty contests."

Haugland's STUNNING ADMISSION reveals your party bosses are preparing to "fix" the naturally selected citizen choice at its July RNC Convention. It will override the voice of the people for an alternative that places some REMAINING IN OFFICE above all else. NOT inspiring! Such deceit will drive off even more from your already diminishing registration roles.

This Presidential Election is about saving our nation's sovereignty, the will of its people, the freedom and economic future of our families.

Mr. Woodman and I are about the same age. We both have time to read and for study. I've been analyzing this election for years. I've found, this election must not be about having one's feelings hurt. It's about staving off the formation of a North American Union in which an elite oligarchy of multi-national banks and corporations use gimmicks like open borders, TPP, and environmental taxation, and other controls to enrich itself even further.

Surely Mr. Woodman must know, of all remaining candidates for his party's nomination, only Mr. Trump has the momentum and dedication of his followers to actually WIN in November.

Unfortunately, too many Republican Party bosses are prepared to take yet another "fall" to keep their OWN power and privilege unscathed. Now, THAT'S despicable behavior!

Yes, Mr. Woodman, your party is ALREADY dead. Dead, at least, to far too many average citizens. Don't bury it altogether. No one really wins in a ONE PARTY nation.

Trump is openly who he is, sometimes course, sometimes irreverent, like all of us, and like many politicians in private, He has not moderated who he is in public. The great fear of all politicians both dem. and rep is that this guy, who runs his very successful and efficient campaign with 6 people, may just do the same when he is in office. Probably will not appoint the usual political hacks to big positions, may just hire people based on their qualifications, not their race or sexual orientation or political connections. He has spent the least of all the candidates and has done well. He has been attacked since day one, much more than any other candidate, even by members of his own party,so far he is still standing, whether he wins or loses in the end, he has defined the issues of the 2016 election. even Hillary is now talking about trade. Love him or hate him he is definitely the political man of the year.

Trump is the personification of the..Ugly American. The worst traits of the general public articulated. He holds up a mirror and emulates what he sees and hears. Give the consumer what he/she? wants. The customer is always right? This is basic Business 101 folks. not saying he is my candidate because he is not but he is at least transparent about his audiences emotions. Fear and loathing!

"Haugland's STUNNING ADMISSION reveals your party bosses are preparing to "fix" the naturally selected citizen choice at its July RNC Convention. It will override the voice of the people for an alternative that places some REMAINING IN OFFICE above all else. NOT inspiring! Such deceit will drive off even more from your already diminishing registration roles."

If Trump has enough delegates going into the convention, there's nothing to "fix." If he doesn't, then this is what happens, Fred. Dems, too. It happened in '68, I believe.

"The FIRST goal of any political party who competes for citizen votes in a Presidential Election should be to WIN the office!

Repeat . . . WIN THE OFFICE!..."

Fred -

I respectfully disagree.

Winning is part of the equation, but if the nominee isn't going to enact policies based on the principles I support, what difference does winning make? If Barack Obama had been the Republican nominee instead of the Democrat, should we have supported him so he could open our borders, enact national health care, impose gun control, etc.?

I hope not, and I hope elections are about more than just winning.

We're coming off eight years of the worst President in history. The democrats will be nominating a New York liberal. Instead of presenting voter with a clear choice in the fall, many Republican voters appear to want us to oppose the Democrat NY liberal with a Republican NY liberal. That makes no sense.

I can support Trump wanting to secure the border, and hopefully he's committed to that. But that doesn't make him a conservative. I know what he's said on the campaign trail when he needs conservative votes, but do we really know what he stands for?

Trump's been living most of his adult life in the biggest liberal incubator in the world, yet I don't remember him speaking out against failing public schools, strict gun control, or even bans on salt and soda. I also don't remember Trump using his money to fund conservative candidates in NY races, other than in a superficial manner. In fact, he's actually contributed to the likes of Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. That's not what a conservative does.

Having Trump win just so a Republican wins isn't enough. If I knew Trump was a real conservative, I could vote for him. Instead, I suspect that if he wins the nomination, he will get rid of many of his positions quicker than he gets rid of his wives.

"How many words is this editorial? Also, does this mean a R leader will now vote D?"

I presume you still know how to count, or are you so dumbed down that you need others to do that, too. Woodman has stated he will not support the R nominee if it is Trump. That does not mean he will support the Dem.

At the moment, Trump has received 1-1.5 million more votes than any other candidate on the Republican side. The wins by Cruz were mostly at Republican party boss, closed and controlled, caucus events. Kasich is way too far behind to ever get the nomination prior to convention. Rubio destroyed his career already.

Trump is attracting support from Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians. His crowds are the most attended and passionate. Democratic Primary turnouts are DOWN sharply and Hillary is slipping. Despite these advantages, the Republican Party bosses maintain the power to disable Trump through the convention rules committee.How's THAT American citizen voters!

As I've written previously, I DO expect the Republican Party bosses to foolishly not run their strongest "horse" to victory. Hard to believe, isn't it?

What that will mean is this, the Republican Party will destroy itself in order to finish out the terms of its people already IN office. We'll see!

The Republican Rules Committee meets the day before the Convention. ALL the current rules expire the night before. The party bosses and incumbents in the room can ABSOLUTELY sway all of it away from Trump.

To 9:54, all I can say is this. We KNOW what a continuation of the Obama policies (Hillary) will mean. They've both shown us over the past 8 years. I don't think we want to continue down that path. We CAN'T KNOW what a Trump presidency will mean. We can only assume whatever we chose to see in him.

At the very least, a Trump-like candidate will change our country's trajectory quickly. This nation NEEDS that.

By the way, I'm not eligible to vote in the Pennsylvania Primary. If Trump actually does become the Republican nominee, I will be voting for him.

I wonder if Woodman had a past investment in a Trump holding that did not generate the expected return on investment? Everyone knows Woodman is a California businessman who only cares about staying rich, and in doing so needs to control the politicos in DC for business advantages. Trump appears to threaten people like Woodman b/c rich businessmen won't have any control or leverage over Trump. Trump does not need Woodman's money or political support. Woodman and others need to get a grip that people are fired up against politics as usual.

Fred, If Trump has the required delegates going into the convention to win under current rules, it would be dangerous to ignore the will of the people. But if he doesn't, and I hope he doesn't, it has to be thrown wide open.

They may be able to stop Trump, but they are mistaken if they think they can put the present movement back in the bottle. the next guy will probably have more ammunition and will take the establishment head on from the beginning, especially if they cripple or stop Trump and lose this election.

Think of all of the layers of useless people and their flunkies we have. They take a simple task,roads for example, and turn it into a bloated mess with layer upon layer of overpaid people requiring years of planning followed by years of construction at an outrageous cost.Perhaps not the best example but one of many . It's Red team/Blue team. You both are incompetent dreck. You are so entrenched , It will be a difficult to remove you -it has started-you are losing control-circle the wagons ,inflate your pensions steal what you can, tick,tick!

Bernie, the Primary election process has slowly been engineered by Republican Party bosses, through proportional delegate distribution, uncommitted delegates, and tight caucus results control to give "THE PARTY" ultimate power over the citizens. On the Democratic side, the situation is even less fair to the voting populace.

Someone like Trump comes along and all of this "plan" becomes threatened. Right now, I'm convinced, unless Trump is the Republican standard bearer, that party will lose 2016 and never recover as a viable party again.

As I am trying to make clear, FIRST you win the "race," then you towel down the winner and prepare him to bring the desired results going forward. If the winner doesn't respond to your guidance, a REAL Congress can neuter him and try again using both parties.

I have always been a democratic.Ian 61years old.Since Trump said he was running. I changed to Republican just to elect him . I am so sick and tired of special interest,telling the people we put in office, to represent us instead . They do what ever special interest groups want them to do .I don't tell me family how to vote. Think about this. Why is it that the backers of the other candidates are so willing to do anything to get their candidate in throwing all kinds of money to back them. Please tell me your not that stupid,to think there not going to tell them we got you in. But we are not asking for anything in return. Even though we, remember we,put you in office with our money,did I say our money YES❗ not the people that voted for you. If not for our money. Trump would be in the office. Think about that,someone who actually says what we think. None of them went to help fund raising money for the VETS. Who cares what the reason was. He did it,while everyone else. Stood,telling us that we should vote for them. So there Special Interest groups. Can run our country,the way they want it,what's important to them. Not what is important for all of us,or our needs , you want lower taxes,better school,less worries about being safe,less gangs,job back. Think of this the next time you get something to eat or your children goes out to play,or to school,or to the doctor,or hospital. Are the illegal immigrants sitting next to you,or playing with our children, what about serving you at a restaurant. They don't have. Immunizations. After all they weren't required to have them in Mexico. And no it's not there fault. It's the Mexican government. But are government requires us to ,so we get rid of the most deadly disease. And for the most part it has worked. Then the illegal immigrants brought it back into the country. Enjoy your trip to the doctors ,after eating served by the illegal immigrants that still have not been immunization. That's why I'm Voting Republican for the first time ever.I will not vote for any other Republicans....... But for Gods sake get out and Vote. For the person that's going to help you not special interest groups. That's going to be harder than you think. Good luck.

I don't care for Trump the man but what I truly detest are the two entrenched, self-serving, but "accepted/recognized" political franchises. Trump's appeal tells me there are lots of people who feel the same. They want an outsider....who they think might be able to shake up a system gone horribly wrong...whether it's the mismanagement, favoritism, and dysfunction in DC, Harrisburg, Allentown, or their local municipality.

Hillary Clinton was also a Barry Goldwater supporter and activist who is now the Controlled Opposition to the republican party.

Hillary Clinton is still a republican so was her husband. The both of them are experts at speaking in the traditional feel good language of liberals, while at the same time governing from the center right.

When through constant propaganda you position the Clinton's as liberals you make Donald Trump possible. You now have the democratic party so far to the right that today Barry Goldwater, just like this fella, would be a democrat, leaving the republicans nowhere to go but insane, a la Donald Trump.

It is people like you that made Donald Trump.May I ask, what has the Pennsylvania GOP done in the last 30 years? NOTHINGGet lost you POS and I am no fan of Trump BTW and even less a fan of the GOP establishment.The establishment is asking for serious trouble if they ignore the People. BTW, thanks for your amazing candidates, like Bob Dole, The Bush Family, McCain and Romney. After that line up you should zip it. Loser after loser after loser...The GOP establishment has done a great job picking losers.

To be honest I haven't thought about that. Kinda makes sense. My uncle lost his job,company said down sizing. Only to find out they hired 2 illegal immigrants in his place. He just excepted it,he's dead now. God rest his soul served in the Marines,fought the Japanese,earned 2 purple hearts, medal of honor. Only to be let go,because of down sizing. Then hired 2 illegal immigrants for cheap labor. Funny my uncle wasn't even aloud to talk to the president of the company,to beg for his job back.well I never gave it a thought.But I think about how my uncle cried. When he new,he was replaced by illegal sneaking in to the country he fought so hard to protect. I want to thank you all of the service men and women who gave so much. And for those who lost everything. By our government,that gives everything to the illegal immigrants. I won't vote for anyone that wants to keep illegal immigrants here. Thanks for opening my eyes.

I applaud Wayne Woodman for sharing his views.I am not sure why anyone would personally attack a man for staying true to his beliefs and convictions. And he has done so publicly even knowing that these attacks would occur. I read comments filled with anger but no substance. Here lays the problem with the electorate voting with emotion or single issues instead of using every tool available to research and find out who they are voting for. It does not help that the media had turned this election into a circus.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and to voice it as this blog is one way to express the personal views of so many.

But I am pretty sure we are all adults here. We teach our children to be respectful, so why do you all come on to this blog with ignorant comments and the intent of personal attack.

An educated and intelligent response would be more apt to be taken seriously.

Mr. Woodman, thank you for being honest and staying true to who you are and what you believe in, for not conforming to fit into public popularity.

The government didn't give anything to the undocumented workers you speak of, the business your uncle worked for did.

That could be stopped by confiscating the company, the way drug dealers have their assets seized when they break the law.

Unfortunately the Chamber of Commerce runs the government through politicians that fool the electorate into thinking they care for the workers and the people, they don't, they don't care about you or your uncle at all.

Politicians represent business, and business is global and no longer recognizes borders or countries, and only have loyalties to profit, workers parties have been outlawed, even unions are under attack. In fact if you speak of workers right you are labeled a communist or socialist.

I heard it said somewhere that: "Communism and Socialism is when man exploits man, with Democracy and Capitalism it's the other way around."

Let's take a look at the absolute mess the two party system has created. I want Trump to walk in and start turning tables over. I want to see entire federal departments eliminated with many thousands laid off . I want to have the two trillion dollar theft from Social Security prosecuted. Both parties have been responsible. If this sounds like a rant, so be it.

i quite agree with Wayne. Trump is a throwback to the vulgar, obscene politics not found in this country in over 150 years. We are well past this type of disgusting campaign, or we should have bern after 150+ years.

interesting post. Would you mind explaining how you think social security actually works? Also, please explain what the government should do with the excess taxes they collected over what was paid out.

The way I see the ss theft is this, these thieves have taken a massive surplus , I repeat surplus, call it a trust fund, replace it with bonds on which we pay interest . which part of this is not true? Then these slime talk about how they are trying to save the system.

A tangential thought related to Mr Trump's attempts to become 2016 Republican candidate for POTUS.

If he succeeds his campaign is going to be presented with a unique financing problem. He can't maintain one of his chief selling points to his candidacy should he make a legitimate run at it. That being that he is self-financed. While he has gotten away with having the heat of his primary coverage compensate for minimal campaign spending this won't work once we are in the general election phase.

A general election bid for POTUS costs over $1 Billion dollars. In fact this years may run as high as $1.5B.

Now no one believes that Donald J Trump is actually worth $10B, as he claims, but even if we take Forbes figure of an area around $4B one must realize that the vast majority of that is not liquid. It is tied to licensing agreements and the like. Trump has nothing even closely approaching the kind of cash on hand it is going to cost to run a POTUS campaign.

This means he is going to have to seek other people's money. One can not readily see the Brothers Koch ponying up $300M for Trump and inviting their wealthy friends to come in for more. He isn't going to be able to do what Sanders might do and get the money from millions upon millions of small donors.

No, if Trump becomes the Pub candidate for POTUS he is going to have to beg for money from the special interest groups to run a national ground game, pay for a 50 state ad campaign, etc and so forth. When that happens what becomes of the "wealthy man of independent means not owned by anyone because he financed his own campaign"?

Ooh tangential. All Trump must do is say the word and the firehose of contributions will flow. Thus far he has spent a small fraction of the losers spending. He's got his own air wing, he has a very small staff. Of course all that free air time ,ah good stuff.

Mr. Trump is cleaning up. We all will win with Trump/ he will rid the country of the disease infested illegals. He will keep pout the godless muslins and make our country great again.Hopefully he will help stomp out the leftist progressive liberal Democrats that have almost destroyed this nation. H must crush Clinton in the Fall, she is a lying criminal.The founders envisioned a white European christen nation founded on Christian values and the Bible as the guiding principle. Tonight we are closer to the dream of the blessed founders.

All eyes are on Trump, as they should be, but last night made clear, neither Cruz, nor Kasich can enter the convention with the 1247 delegates required to become the nominee.

The Kasich win was expected, and of almost no significance. Cruz did very poorly. His weakness at a national level is obvious. What many do not know is, the Jeb Bush campaign, staff, and money are working for Cruz now, so Ted will hang around through the end.

A casual look at the remaining primary elections and the method in which those delegates are awarded, tells me Trump will come up about 100 delegate votes short of the minimum required number. I still see a brokered convention and a way remaining for the party bosses to take Trump out.

Without Trump as the Republican nominee, the DEMOCRAT candidate wins the White House. Trump might still lose in the national election, but no one else put in play by the Republicans would do better. The energy behind Trump will not transfer to another candidate.

The Republican party bosses and corporate puppet masters will be quite comfortable with another Democrat President. Remember, our new "political elite class" can tolerate anything so long as each remains in their own cozy place.

I certainly hope Bernie is correct in predicting a Trump presidency. One way or another, this nation needs to hit the "Reset" button. It's time to revisit how America became the greatest nation in the world and how to CONTINUE as such.

If we look at what's already going on globally, particularly the formation of the European Union, a now-crumbling governmental construct, we see the path we've been on with Obama. We are involved in an effort to dissolve our borders and dilute our system of governance. The goal is creating a North American Union that blends Canada, United States, and Mexico into one body.

NO THANKS!

No matter if Trump, or anyone else, this drive toward a new "Utopia" must be stalled. I like America just the way it is.

Again, I thank Bernie for hosting my views. This is the most widely-read and influential blog serving the Lehigh Valley region.